Growing up in Bilborough

[annswabey 599]

Good to hear Mr Jacobs is still around. I used to see him wandering around town quite a lot, when I still lived in Nottingham.

I went to Beechdale Infants briefly - probably 1961/62 (I'm 57). My brother, who's quite a bit older than me went there too - late 40's-early 50's, There are some photos on Friends Reunited of his age group.

[Bilbraborn 1,594]

Gotta go to work now. Pick up again tonight.

[Cliff Ton 10,458]

I may be wrong on this so apologies if I've got my locations twisted.

Did there used to be an old peoples' home on Darnhall Crescent, or somewhere nearby? Reading this thread, the name rang a bell with me, because I had two grandparents who lived in a old people's place around that area in the late 1970s.

I've just been there on Streetview and there's no such place now, but there are blocks of noticeably different houses where I thought the OAP home used to be.

[jackson 301]

Hi Cliff, I'm sure there used to be an OAP home around Darhall Cres too. During the 60's I worked as a junior library assistant at the Bilborough Branch Library - beautiful building, spanking new, Contemporary design.

Now, on Bracebridge Drive - that Darnhall Cres. skirted - there is a vast Care Home; could this have been built in place of the original OAP home?

Perhaps on your travels, if you wished to, you could call in at the Home and see if they have any knowledge of a previous building on the site, or better still, call in at the user friendly library for information.

[Stan 386]

In the mid 50`s, I was King of Cockington Co-op ! After school my flashing steed could be seen hurtling around Bilbra delivering groceries quickly to the biggest tippers!! The non tippers always seemed to be last somehow!

[dgbrit 258]

Would have been about 1953-4 for me.

Tuffy shop on ----- was it Bracebridge Dr or Saltburn rd cant remember

[Bilbraborn 1,594]

There was an old folks complex on Staverton Rd towards Burnside Road.

[catfan 14,793]

Hi Cliff, I'm sure there used to be an OAP home around Darhall Cres too. During the 60's I worked as a junior library assistant at the Bilborough Branch Library - beautiful building, spanking new, Contemporary design.

jackson, I well remember using that library myself in the 60s. Our paths may have crossed !

[annswabey 599]

I was a frequent visitor to that library, too!

[Cliff Ton 10,458]

I've discovered the location of the old people's home; I found some old paperwork and it was called The Beeches, Darnhall Crescent.

It was here, on the left http://goo.gl/maps/3AkbL the houses there are different and newer than the ones on the other side of the road.

[Bilbraborn 1,594]

it was a good library in the 6os. I used it frequently and before it was built, the library at Old Park Farm. There used to be a fish pond in the entrance. Is it still there?

[catfan 14,793]

Remember before anything was built on that land.

[Bilbraborn 1,594]

There was another crescent sort of laid out for ages. I think on the maps it was called Inglesi Crescent or something like that. There were a few trees growing and some rotten ones that had fell down. There was also wasteland between the TSB bank and the shops, but they gradually built more shops, including Fine Fare. It was a good shortcut home from my mates house.

[jackson 301]

DG Brit, yo mek me laf yo do: post @ #31, 'Tuffy shop' - not heard this for years; sad world gone good again!

[Stan 386]

As far as the land behind the shops on Bracebridge,in my day no one was allowed to build because of the worry of workings underneath from `t pit.

I even remember the space without the garage. (I also remember filling my car at 3/6 a gallon-or was it 3/9d !). If you ask me nicely I will even tell you of my exploits on the `woods ' on Glaisdale before the factories etc. On second thoughts maybe not ......

[Michael Booth 7,364]

jackson, I've always used the word 'tuffy' or 'tuffies' ever since I was a kid. It was the highlight of the week when I got my spending money and went to Mrs Wrights tuffy shop which was opposite my house on Grainger Street. She sold grocery items as well but my eyes were focussed on those jars on the shelf.

[Bilbraborn 1,594]

^{Whatja mean Stan. Me and me mates were behind a tree watching yer. LOL.}

^{Tuffys is the word we always used. Everyone had a Tuffy shop nearby. Tuffys were still on ration when I was born. Now How cruel is that?}

[Bilbraborn 1,594]

Can anyone remember Echo Stream on Glaisdale Drive near where the Poachers Tavern is now?

[Mess 616]

I remember the gypsies in that clearing on Glaisdale Drive.

If you want to know my age I am 62 years young. I still occasionally see Mr Jacobs (or Dr Jacobs as he is now) strolling up Aspley Lane. He remembers me and likes to stop for a chat.

When I was in my final year at Glenbrook Junior they closed Beechdale primary. It was composed of the wooden mess huts for the Ack Ack gun that was there during the war I think. We had some of the lads move into our class at Glenbrook. I am struggling to remember names but I think George Grundy was one. Alan or David Franks. David Hockley, I have the class photo in front of me but names elude me.

I was at Beechdale 1955-1961. The lads names you mentioned were in the year below me. David Franks went on to Forest Fields Grammar and now occasionally posts on Facebook on the Forestians group site. He and George Grundy are both on Friends reunited in the Beechdale Primary School section. David Hockley was a great footballer I recall. I'd love to see the class photo you refer to. Can you post it on here please?

I lived on Elstree Drive and regularly played in Little Woods and on Woodyard Lane. We used to trainspot on the tin bridge and on the fence before they built Farrands. The canal was a real adventure playground. I fell in once but was rescued by Roger Staines (Robert Shaw and Peveril) who was on his way to Scouts on Glaisdale Drive.

One October day around Goose Fair time Roger and I climbed over the wall into Browns Woodyard to try and find some wood to make bows and arrows. Unfortunately one of Roger's Peveril school techers was walking past as we reappeared over the wall and gave Roger a real dressing down

We moved to Russell Rd Forest Fields in 1961 but I still recall the area with great affection

[Bilbraborn 1,594]

Hi Mess. If you were a regular trainspotter on Tin Bridge (or Tinny) our paths must have crossed many times. Can you remember three brothers who lived on Kinross Crescent who I suspect didn't have a dad. They were younger than me. The two older ones were dark haired but the youngest who was fair haired and very young seemed to be spoiled by the others. They were often playing around Tin Bridge.

George Grundy came into my class in the last year at Glenbrook. He lived in a corner house by Saltburn Rd and we used to swap Dinky toys.

I haven't a clue how to post photographs. I assume it's not something as simple as copy and paste.

[Bilbraborn 1,594]

Oh I nearly forgot. I used to clean windows on Russell Rd in the mid to late 1970s.

[Mess 616]

Hi Bilbraborn. Sorry but I don't recall the three brothers off Kinross Crescent.

I knew lots of kids who lived in the prefabs as a lot of them went to Beechdale Primary before it closed.

Peter Fletcher, Terence Lane, Haydn Bosworth (died recently), Michael Winters, David Langford, Tony Placket, Stuart Roach, Sylvia Lovett and Geofrey Lilley.

I think I remember where George Grundy lived. Didn't he have a black dog that barked a lot?

Do you remember Stanley Kirk?

He contacted me last year via Friends Reunited. He was reminiscing about playing in the woods next to the railway.

He mentioned George Grundy and David Hockley.

He responded to my post about a lad called John Lawford who was killed by a bus on Wigman Rd near the Drill Hall in about 1957.

I left Nottm in 1972 but my mum and dad lived on Russell Rd (number 57) until 1976. Perhaps you cleaned their windows. No 57 is a few doors up from the corner shop on Laurie Ave same side as St Simons Hall now a community centre.

There are instructions on this site for scanning and posting photos if you search.

[Bilbraborn 1,594]

I remember Peter Fletcher. He was another one that came into our class at Glenbrook. I can't remember George having a dog, but that means nothing. My memory is just a distant errrrr memory?

I will get pictures posted soon. I just have to get some confidence and then go for it.

[Bilbraborn 1,594]

In plain English how do I transfer my pics from photobucket to here

[poohbear 1,360]

Left click on IMG under your pic on bucket (it goes blue) ...then right click and 'copy' Come on here place cursor in message box.... right click then 'paste'....code appears

To check your pic is right...bottom right...click 'more reply options'...this previews your pic....then if it's ok click 'add reply'.